Abstract

Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (PSS) is a connective tissue disease frequently associated with other autoimmune or autoinflammatory diseases but its association with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis) remains exceptional and overlooked by clinicians. Early-onset forms of PSS, defined as age <35 years at diagnosis, remain rare and unusual. We report an original case of primary earlyonset PSS associated to CD in a 35-year-old Tunisian woman diagnosed five months apart, and responding well to systemic corticosteroid therapy and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) with complete remission. As rare as it is, this association deserves to be recognized by all healthcare professionals and screening for Sjögren’s syndrome appears useful in patients with Crohn’s disease, particularly if dry syndrome and/or joint involvement

Keywords

crohn’s disease, primary sjögren’s syndrome, inflammatory bowel, diseases, sicca syndrome, autoimmunity, overlap syndrome